Doctor shares what to do if you think you have Coronavirus

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – One Oklahoma City doctor shares what you need to do if you think you have Coronavirus.

“No need for widespread public panic regarding even though we have two cases in Oklahoma,” said Dr. Steven Crawford, Senior Associate Dean OU College of Medicine.

Dr. Crawford says the first thing you need to do if you have recent international travel history and symptoms, like shortness of breath and fever is to isolate yourself.

“It is in most cases a mild illness. The coronavirus is part of the URI, the Upper Respiratory Infection that we get all the time. The problem is that it’s a new virus that many people don’t have immunity to,” said Crawford.

He says if your symptoms start to get more intense like a high fever or serious shortness of breath, that’s when it’s time to contact your doctor.

“Don’t just show up at an emergency room, that’s the other important thing, because the emergency room needs to prepare if there is any belief that you may have this particular illness to protect the other patients that are there,” he said.

He says once you arrive at your doctor’s office or the hospital, put on a mask or ask for one.

“They may want to come out and put the mask on you there, escort you to an isolated room.”

Once inside the hospital or doctor’s office, your vitals will be taken and then a sample will be taken to be sent off for testing at the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

“A swab would be nasopharyngeal meaning, it would go into the nose and also into the throat and then it would be sent off.”

People who are most at risk are people who are 60 or older, who likely have secondary illnesses, like diabetes, cancer, or heart disease. Smokers are also at an elevated risk for the virus.